The invention relates to improvements in methods of and in apparatus for making containers around one-piece or composite commodities, such as composite containers for confinement of rod-shaped, flowable and/or otherwise configurated, dimensioned, comminuted and/or assembled products of the tobacco processing industry. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in methods of and in apparatus for making composite containers with identifying indicia. Typical examples of containers of the character to which the present invention pertains are so-called soft or hinged-lid cigarette packs wherein a composite container including parts made of paper, cardboard, metallic foil and/or plastic foil surrounds and confines an array or group of parallel rod-shaped plain or filter cigarettes or other rod-shaped smokers"" products.
It is well known to assemble cigarette packs in a production line wherein a maker supplies plain or filter cigarettes to a packing machine which is designed to confine arrays of, e.g., twenty cigarettes each (often in so-called quincunx formations) first in inner envelopes often made of metallic foil, and to thereupon confine the thus obtained intermediate products in outer envelopes of paper, cardboard or a suitable plastic material. The thus obtained packs can be admitted into a so-called film wrapper which confines the packs in additional envelopes consisting of a transparent or translucent plastic sheet material. Such additional (outermost) envelopes are or can be provided with customary tear strips.
It was also proposed to provide parts of containers for groups or arrays of plain or filter cigarettes or the like with encoded information which renders it possible to ascertain whether or not the contents were made and packed by the manufacturer identified at the exterior of the container or by an imitator. Reference may be had, for example, to commonly owned copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/671,585 filed Sep. 28, 2000 by Gottfried von BISMARCK for xe2x80x9cMETHOD OF AN APPARATUS FOR ASCERTAINING THE GENUINENESS OF PACKAGED COMMODITIESxe2x80x9d, and to commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/694,028 filed Oct. 23, 2000 by Gottified von BISMARCK for xe2x80x9cMETHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR ENCODING AND RECORDING IDENTIFYING INDICIA FOR ARRAYS OF ROD-SHAPED ARTICLESxe2x80x9d.
An object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved method of facilitating identification of the actual maker or makers of the contents of containers which confine one-piece, composite, flowable, particulate, filamentary or comminuted leaf-like and/or other types of commodities, e.g., in the form of parallelepiped blocks or the like.
Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved method of facilitating reliable detection of imitations of mass-produced commodities which are confined in containers of paper, cardboard, metallic foil and/or plastic foil.
A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved method of applying a variety of indicia to some or all constituents of envelopes or containers for smokers"" products.
An additional object of the instant invention is to provide an apparatus for the practice of the above outlined method.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which can be incorporated into or associated with existing machines or production lines for the making of filled containers in such a way that the genuineness of their contents can be ascertained in a simple, reliable and time-saving manner.
A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which can apply indicia to the constituents of composite containers for smokers"" products or the like while such constituents are being made or assembled into containers around the commodities which are to be confined therein.
Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved combination of applicators of indicia for use in a production line for the making of containers confining products of the tobacco processing industry.
An additional object of the invention is to provide novel and improved containers for the confinement of a variety of commodities in such a way that the origins of the confined commodities can be ascertained with a high degree of accuracy and by resorting to available decoding instrumentalities.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a group of machines for the mass production of packaged smokers"" products which embodies or is associated with the above outlined apparatus.
One feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a method of confining a commodity (e.g., an array of twenty plain or filter cigarettes in the so-called quincunx formation) in a composite container having a plurality of constituents (including, for example, envelopes of metallic foil, paper or cardboard and plastic foil, and an insert of paper or cardboard). The method comprises the steps of assembling the constituents into the container around the commodity, providing at least some of the constituents with characteristic indicia not later than in the course of the assembling step, processing the characteristic indicia into information (e.g., a numeral) which is characteristic of the assembled container, and encoding the thus obtained information upon at least one constituent of the container.
The providing step can include randomly selecting at least one of the characteristic indicia; for example, each such indicium can be a numeral consisting of one or more digits, one or more letters and/or a combination of letters and digits.
The providing step can include applying all of the characteristic indicia to the respective constituents of the container prior to the assembling step.
The encoding step is or can be carried out prior to the assembling step, and the providing step can include applying at least one of the characteristic indicia to the respective constituent of the container in the course of the assembling step. Such encoding step can include applying the information to the at least one constituent of the container prior to completion of the assembling step.
In accordance with a presently preferred embodiment, the at least one constituent is accessible for the application of encoded information, at least in part, upon completion of the assembling step. The encoded information can be of such nature and can applied in such a way that it is decodable without necessitating even partial opening of the assembled container.
The constituents of the container can include an inner envelope directly surrounding the commodity in the assembled container, an outer envelope which surrounds the inner envelope when the assembling step is completed, an insert which is disposed between the inner and outer envelopes of the assembled container, a light-transmitting outermost envelope which surrounds the outer envelope of the assembled container, and a tear strip which is or can be carried by the outermost envelope. The providing step of the method which involves the making of a container from the above five constituents can include applying indicia to each of the inner, outer and outermost envelopes as well as to the insert and to the tear strip. The assembling step of such method can include confining the commodity in the inner envelope, thereupon applying the insert around a selected part of the inner envelope, thereafter confining the inner envelope and the insert in the outer envelope, and thereafter applying the outermost envelope (preferably with the tear strip on the outermost envelope) around the outer envelope.
The assembling step can include advancing the commodity along a predetermined path and draping the constituents of the container around the advancing commodity in a predetermined sequence in successive portions of the path.
The method can further comprise the step or steps of processing into the information data pertaining to at least one of (a) the commodity and (b) the container. Such data can denote at least one of (i) the time of the assembling step (ii) the location of the assembling step, and (iii) at least one person in charge of the assembling step.
It is often advisable to resort to an encoding step which involves visibly applying the information to an exposed part of the at least one constituent of the assembled container.
Another feature of the instant invention resides in the provision of an apparatus for confining successive ones of a series of commodities (such as the aforementioned arrays of plain or filter cigarettes or other rod-shaped products of the tobacco processing industry) in composite containers each of which has a set of, for example, five constituents. The apparatus comprises means for conveying successive commodities of the aforementioned series of commodities along a predetermined elongated path, means for assembling the constituents of the sets into containers, including means for placing the constituents around successive commodities in a predetermined sequence in successive portions of the path, means for providing at least some constituents of each set with characteristic indicia not later than in the respective portions of the path, means for processing the characteristic indicia of the at least some constituents of each set into information which is characteristic of the respective assembled containers, and means for encoding the information upon the respective containers.
At least some of the characteristic indicia can constitute randomly selected indicia (such as multidigit numerals and/or groups of letters).
The assembling means can comprise a cigarette packing machine, a carton packing machine or the like.
The means for providing at least some of the constituents with characteristic indicia can comprise at least one laser and/or at least one printer.
If the constituents of each set include a first blank which is convertible into an inner envelope of a container, a second blank which is convertible into an outer envelope of a container, a third blank which is convertible into an outermost envelope of a container, and an insert which is convertible into a collar between the inner and outer envelopes, the means for providing characteristic indicia can include a first laser for the application of indicia to first blanks, a second laser for the application of indicia to second blanks, a first printer for the application of indicia to inserts, and a second printer for the application of indicia to third blanks. The encoding means of such apparatus can include a laser. Apparatus of the just outlined character can constitute or include a cigarette packing machine.
The constituents of each set can further include a tear strip which is borne by the respective third blank, and the second printer can be arranged to apply indicia to the tear strips.
The just described apparatus can further comprise additional conveying means for delivering the blanks and the inserts to the respective portions of the path.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The improved apparatus itself, however, both as to its construction and the modes of assembling and operating the same, together with numerous additional important and advantageous features and attributes thereof, will be best understood upon perusal of the following detailed description of certain presently preferred specific embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.